Shepherdia

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Shepherdia - a genus of shrubs and small trees of the Lokhovye family. The genus includes three species: Shepherdia silvery (Latin Shepherdia argentea), Shepherdia canadensis (Latin Shepherdia canadensis) and Shepherdia round-leaved (Latin Shepherdia rotundifolia). Natural area - North America. In Russia, culture has appeared relatively recently. The plant is famous for its bright red edible berries with subtle white dots.

Characteristics of culture

Shepherdia is a shrub, less often a tree up to 6-7 m high. The root system is powerful, well-developed. The crown is wide, up to 13-15 m in diameter. Branches are outstretched, often creeping, equipped with thorns. The shrub can be single-stemmed or multi-stemmed. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, opposite, as well as the shoots, covered with silvery hairs over the entire surface.

The flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. The fruit is a drupe, has a sour-sweet taste, often with bitterness. Shepherdia blooms in April-May before the leaves open. Duration of flowering, on average, 6-10 days. The plant is pollinated by insects. Shepherdia is a plant that is undemanding to growing conditions, winter-hardy, drought-resistant and light-loving.

Growing conditions

Shepherdia prefers well-lit areas, otherwise there are no restrictions. Soils can be any, since nodules with bacteria are formed on the roots of Shepherdia, which actively absorb nitrogen from the air. That is why plants are able to grow on poor and even stony soils, on which other fruit and berry crops will not survive. Loamy and sandy loam, drained soils with a neutral pH reaction are optimal. It is undesirable to grow a crop on heavy clayey and greasy soils, they strongly oppress the plants. You should also avoid low-lying areas with stagnant cold air, as well as areas with a close occurrence of groundwater.

Reproduction and planting

Shepherdia is propagated by seeds, cuttings and root suckers. The seed method is effective, but difficult, since the seeds need preliminary stratification, which lasts about 60 days. You can sow seeds before winter, then they undergo natural stratification, which simplifies the work of gardeners several times. Seedlings from autumn sowing, as a rule, appear in early May, sometimes earlier. Shepherdia grown in this way begin to bear fruit in 4-5 years, and by the 12th year the plants give maximum yields.

Among gardeners, the most common method of propagation is cuttings. Cuttings 8-10 cm long are cut from strong and healthy shoots of the current year in late June - early July. Cutting is carried out separately from female and male specimens, and there should be 10 times more female cuttings. One male is planted on 7-10 female plants. Before planting, cuttings are treated with growth stimulants, for example, heteroauxin. Cuttings are planted in an inclined position in open ground under a film or in a greenhouse, a small layer of washed coarse sand is poured on top. For several days, the cuttings are sprayed with warm water 3-5 times a day, and shade in hot and sunny weather. After about 2-3 weeks, the cuttings begin to form roots.

Planting a culture with seedlings is carried out in the spring, although autumn planting is not prohibited. Planting pits are prepared in the fall, or in a couple of weeks. The depth of the pit should be about 70 cm, and the width should be 80-90 cm. Fertile soil, thoroughly mixed with mineral and organic fertilizers, is poured onto the bottom of the pit. The roots of the seedling are straightened, then the remaining voids are covered with soil, tamped, watered and mulched with healthy fallen leaves or peat.

Care

The first 2-3 years after planting, crop care consists of shallow loosening, weed removal and watering. In the future, care comes down to annual sanitary and formative pruning, pest and disease control and feeding. Watering is not required for adult plants, except for a prolonged absence of rain. Top dressing is carried out twice a season: in early spring and in the middle of summer.